Inefficient applicant tracking software solutions are hindering the hiring of the right staff at a time when industry is demanding ultimate efficiency in recruiting, claims a recruitment outsourcing expert.

This comes at a time when the British Retail Consortium are reporting an increase in store openings and employment figures in comparison to the same period last year. The increase is equivalent to more than 12,000 jobs.

Mrs Marques, whose company has recruited for companies including Halfords, Specsavers, and Hub said: “At the same time as 300,000 plus predicted job losses in the public sector, new hires in the private sector will have to work even harder to deliver sales. The overall effect this will have on trading is that businesses need to save time and money wherever possible. We are seeing that the one size fits all software solutions being touted by software houses are ill-equipped for our sector as it stands at the moment.”

She said many software solutions are based on core models, which makes assumptions about each company’s recruitment process.

“This means there is so much time and money wasted on reformatting documents, entering unnecessary data, double handling documents, filling out application forms and sending emails that are ignored. It can be an infuriating process for all involved.”

She added that lack of staff awareness of software features was an issue too.

“We can all be wowed at wonderful features that are shown at presentations, but often staff never use these features meaning more often than not only a small fraction of the software’s capabilities are being used. ” she added.

She said that constructing packages with relevant modules, as her company and other outsourcing specialists now do, was now being seen as a step worth taking in the current climate.

“All companies are as individual as the people they are recruiting,” she continued. “They often know the best methods to source the right candidates for them and at a time of headaches for industry an unwieldy recruitment procedure is something very few companies can now afford.”

“Companies are now demanding the right recruitment tool that works for them and this has meant that potential recruitment partners need to up their game, and find out more about our client needs, as ultimately it’s a time where we all have to look hard to ensure maximum productivity.”